The Government Camp-based Mt. Hood Ski Education Foundation has hired former U.S. Ski Team Coach Seth McCadam to serve as program director.

McCadam will take the reins at MHSEF from Bill Gunesch, who ran the racing program for three decades and launched the Mt. Hood Academy for top-tier junior racers. Bill Gunesch was recently hired as the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association’s Western Region Development Director. Mary Gunesch will continue to lead MHSEF's academic programs.

McCadam served as a slalom and giant slalom coach for Team USA at the 2010 Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver and has coached at Jackson Hole in Wyoming and Sugar Bowl in California. He has traveled extensively to coach top racers from a home base in Hood River, where he will return to live full-time while coaching on Mount Hood.

“I’m excited to work with athletes on Mt. Hood - it’s the only place in the U.S. with year-round skiing," McCadam says. "Knowing I’m coming into such a respected program makes this transition much easier and coming back to our home in Hood River was an opportunity we really couldn’t pass up.”

MHSEF has partnered with Mt. Hood Skibowl and Timberline since 1964 to offer training, racing and schooling through the Mt. Hood Race Team and then later, Mt. Hood Academy - an accredited, winter-term, live-in school.

“We are a smaller ski academy and have a very close, family atmosphere within the team,” says Jason Spadaro, MHSEF board president. “We have a long history of successfully developing students and athletes and we welcome Seth to our family.”

Outgoing program director Bill Gunesch said hiring McCadam will provide a nice boost for ski racing on Mount Hood: “Having someone with Seth’s knowledge and expertise running the program is really exciting for ski racing on Mt. Hood and around the Northwest. He will definitely strengthen the legacy of MHSEF for future ski racing generations.”